Earlier in the week it was revealed that the France international has reached an agreement with manager Ronald Koeman on his future, and will be allowed to leave the St Mary’s Stadium if his £25 million price tag is met [Daily Mail].

The news could spark a three-way transfer battle between Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and the Red Devils, and official bids from suitors could be imminent.

Sky Sports claim that their sources have been informed of the Red Devils’ extreme eagerness to clinch the signature of the Saints midfielder in the coming months.

Louis van Gaal is said to have made a right-footed central midfielder a priority signing, and as well as Schneiderlin, the former Netherlands manager is targeting Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger [Telegraph] – with the duo considered to be potential replacements to Michael Carrick.

The England international has reached the twilight of his career, and his fitness was a significant concern last season – he managed only 16 Premier League starts last season – leaving van Gaal’s side short of numbers in the middle of the park. Key striker Wayne Rooney had to deputise in the deeper role on 18 occasions last term, muting the Red Devils’ offensive output.

Schneiderlin, by contrast, managed 26 appearances in the top flight as Southampton secured a place in the Europa League for next season.

Louis van Gaal’s giants have also been linked with a move for Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos – for whom they had a £35m opening bid rejected on Thursday [Daily Mail].